Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon signed a bill banning abortion pills in the state and permitted another bill restricting abortion to become law without his signature. Gordon expressed concern in a statement that the latter measure, known as the Life is a Human Right Act, would give rise to a legal dispute that would “delay any resolution to the constitutionality of the abortion ban in Wyoming.”
In the event that he would not issue a veto, plaintiffs in an ongoing action had earlier that day filed a challenge to the new statute, he added.
“I believe this question needs to be decided as soon as possible so that the issue of abortion in Wyoming can be finally resolved, and that is best done with a vote of the people,” Gordon, a Republican, said in a statement.
In the absence of any judicial action that would potentially postpone that date, Wyoming’s prohibition on abortion drugs would go into force in July. The statute makes no mention of when the comprehensive ban on all abortions that Gordon let become law will go into effect.
Abortion is still legal in the state up until viability, or when the fetus may survive outside the womb
Abortion is still lawful in the state up to viability, or when the fetus might survive outside the womb, despite a prior ban being entangled in legal proceedings.
The decision on abortion pills by the governor of Wyoming comes after they gained attention this week in Texas, where a federal judge questioned a Christian group’s attempt to reverse the long-standing U.S. clearance of the popular abortion pill, mifepristone.
Antonio Serrano, the advocacy director for the Wyoming ACLU, condemned the governor’s decision to sign the measure in a statement.
“A person’s health, not politics, should guide important medical decisions — including the decision to have an abortion,” Serrano said.
The most popular method of abortion in the United States is a two-pill combination of mifepristone and another medication. Even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the decision that safeguarded the right to abortion for over five decades, abortion pills started to become the favored way of ending a pregnancy in the U.S.
Once Roe v. Wade is repealed, the abortion laws in each state are as follows
Now, there are 15 states with restricted access to abortion pills, six of which need a physical examination by a doctor. The laws could withstand judicial challenges; states have historically had jurisdiction over how physicians, pharmacists, and other professionals conduct medicine.
The guidelines for telemedicine consultations used to prescribe drugs are likewise defined by the states. In general, this means that health providers in jurisdictions with abortion pill prohibitions may face penalties such as fines or license suspension if they attempt to provide pills through the mail.
Cases to watch in 2023 as abortion ban challenges advance through the courts
Women have previously traveled across state lines to obtain abortion pills more easily. This tendency is projected to continue.
Since the Roe v. Wade decision in June, abortion limits have been left to the states, and the landscape has evolved swiftly. Thirteen states now prohibit abortion at any stage of pregnancy, and Georgia prohibits it once heart activity is found, typically at six weeks gestation.
In Arizona, Indiana, Montana, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, and Wyoming, courts have halted the implementation of abortion bans or severe restrictions. Idaho courts have ordered that abortions be permitted in medical situations.
The story was modified to include context regarding abortion remaining legal until viability, or when the fetus can survive outside the womb.